


and i'd choose you, in every lifetime

by soonflowers



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance, Slice of Life, fond!woo, jk three years, junhao if you squint, soonwoo, there's some pining i think, this is the first fic i've written in five years boi am i nervous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 10:31:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16324550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soonflowers/pseuds/soonflowers
Summary: “You think we’d be together in the next lifetime?”Soonyoung pauses to look at him and in a few seconds, the laughter in his throat bubbles into the open air like shooting stars and Wonwoo thinks that the universe is in Soonyoung’s heart.-alternatively, falling in love in different lifetimes.





	and i'd choose you, in every lifetime

i.

“You know, Soonyoung,” Wonwoo comments from the front of the spacecraft, face buried in his book and round glasses sliding down. He’s been reading the same line for the past ten minutes but he’s determined to keep the upper hand here. “Staring at me non-stop for an hour isn’t going to guilt me into letting you fly this thing.” His dark bangs fall just over his eyes and offhandedly, he makes a mental note to visit Minghao and Junhui in Centrius for a quick trim and supply restock.

They’re on the planet Komorebi as a rest stop for a few days. The planet is Wonwoo’s absolute favorite; it’s a lush and colorful place that’s filled to the brim with plant life. If Wonwoo could, he would spend the rest of his life here just learning about the millions of different plant species and how to care for them. It’s a retirement dream for the future that he like keeps filed away in his thoughts when he has time to think about the future and other things. Lately, he hasn’t had the luxury of doing that. He’s been too busy worrying about getting captured by The Intergalactic Alliance for a crime he didn’t even commit, avoiding confrontation from the Paladin Corps about his sudden absence, among other things. (And  _maybe_  “other things” might be Soonyoung and his cute, endearing, stubborn self but that’s a problem for next Tuesday.)

The two are seated at the opposite ends of the craft – Wonwoo by the controls with his back to the various tones of greenery and Soonyoung sitting in the kitchen, fingers drumming almost silently against the steel counter top. There’s an undeniable tension in the air that Wonwoo hasn’t been able to place his finger on yet so his first instinct is to ignore it, like he’s trying to do with Soonyoung now, but that’s been a feat proven quite difficult over the course of two weeks. Everything was fine until the  _incident_  and ever since then, Wonwoo’s been thrown into a world of Soonyoung-centric chaos. (Not that he'd admit it, though.)

The blonde mumbles out an incoherent response before getting up and walking towards Wonwoo, reaching out to dig into his ribs lightly with his knuckle. Wonwoo notes that Soonyoung’s cheeks are flushed a peachy pink and his breath hitches at how pretty that shade looks on Soonyoung. Internally, he kicks himself for thinking that.

“What’d you say?”

“Nothing. And I wasn’t looking at you because of that, idiot,” Is what Soonyoung grumbles out. Wonwoo’s surprised to hear that, considering that ever since he picked Soonyoung up on Venturi (Wonwoo’s light blue, multi-atmosphered planet), he’s been bugging him about flying his spacecraft. “Is it true that the life forms on your planet can temporarily transfer their ability to adapt to any atmosphere without equipment?”

“Well, uh, yeah. Through, um, kissing and stuff.” Wonwoo feels a raging blush travelling from his neck upwards and he averts his gaze in retreat. He doesn’t miss, however, the soft look in Soonyoung’s eyes, one that he’s been sporting a lot more frequently when Wonwoo catches him staring sometimes. “But, we don’t have to, um, you know. Kiss, or anything like that if you don’t want to. We can, I don’t mind. But I also have oxygen tanks and masks in the back that I got from Earth like two months ago. I don’t know how to use them yet, but they came with an instruction manual.”

“I want to—I mean, I don’t mind. It’s more convenient, right? Kissing requires less set up and everything and uh, y-yeah.” Soonyoung face flushes a darker pink and it’s spreading from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. Wonwoo thinks that if he reaches up to hold them, they’d be hot to the touch. “I want to go outside with you to explore all the plant life you were talking to me about yesterday.”

“Okay. But it requires a lot of physical contact, on top of the kissing.” Wonwoo explains, setting his book down onto the control board. “I’m not really an expert so I can’t properly channel my life energy into you through lip contact alone—”

At that, Soonyoung swings one leg over Wonwoo’s lap and straddles his hips. “Like this?”

“Yeah, just like that.” Wonwoo manages to breathe out despite the air being knocked out of him the moment he felt Soonyoung's weight on his lap. He steels his gut, wills himself to calm down, tells himself that this whole endeavor is just so that Soonyoung can explore Komorebi and that it’s nothing personal or romantic. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah.” Soonyoung’s face is unreadable but there's still a soft look in his brown eyes, open and giving.

Wonwoo leans forward, crossing the centimeters of their distance and softly presses their lips together. When the energy travels between them, he relaxes into the touch and brings his hands to rest on Soonyoung’s hips, both of them closing their eyes in the process. Soonyoung’s lips are full and soft, pliant and tempting to bite into.

Kissing Soonyoung is addictive and sweet. His lips taste like strawberry lemonade and his energy is golden like a midsummer’s day. He gently licks the seam of Soonyoung’s lips, and when his lips part, Wonwoo feels a rush of lightheadedness and warmth. It feels like he’s sinking into a blanket, comforting and soft to the touch. Soonyoung wraps his arms around his shoulders and briefly, the thought crosses Wonwoo's mind that it feels like his universe begins and ends with Soonyoung.

 

 

ii.

The hallways of the academy buzz with an underlying current of excitement. Wonwoo finds himself drifting from that energy and making his way to one of the cafeterias. It's been three years since he started and it's still a work in progress. Shutting out the energies of others works when there’s only a classroom full of people, but when it’s multiple classrooms housing multiple students all within a relatively close vicinity, it starts to overwhelm him.

“Wonwoo!” He turns to see Soonyoung bounding towards him, bubblegum pink hair bouncing with every step. His arm is raised in an excited wave and Wonwoo grins in greeting. Focusing on single individuals at a time when he’s in areas like this really helps so he’s grateful for the company. “Where’re you going?”

“Hey Soonyoung. I’m headed to the Northwest cafeteria to go get a smoothie before Moon’s class.” Soonyoung swings an arm around his shoulders and ruffles his hair. Wonwoo rolls his eyes at the action but grins anyway. “Don’t you have class right now? Vern was looking for you before he went to potions.”

“Ah, about that. So, Wonwoo. Buddy ol’ pal-" Soonyoung begins and already, Wonwoo can feel the beginnings of a headache and the voice of Professor Moon scolding them. He quirks his eyebrow and places a hand onto Soonyoung’s mouth, effectively cutting him off. 

“Whatever it is, whatever plan that you have that’ll get us almost expelled  _again_ , Soonyoung, I want no part.” He feels the other pout into his palm and really, he already knows that whatever plan it is, he'll still do it. “Stop pouting, it’s not gonna work.” Wonwoo feels the pout deepen, somehow and internally he scolds himself for being too soft on Soonyoung. Soonyoung gives him the most pitiful puppy look he can muster (and really, he shouldn’t have let Soonyoung know that puppy eyes were a weakness) and Wonwoo feels the guilt sinking into his chest. He seethes without much heat but eventually lets go.

“But Wonwoo, you didn’t even hear me out. And also, it was one time! I didn’t even get us expelled, I—”

“Soonyoung, you enchanted a whole ass painting in the castle to somehow teleport you to Japan.” A voice pipes up behind them and Wonwoo feels another weight on his being as a different arm circles his shoulders.

“What? Did you want to me get a half ass painting?” Soonyoung quips back. “Look, I just wanted to test out a new spell—”

“A new spell from the forbidden section of the library. That you broke into, might I add. And then, you used the painting to sneak out past curfew with Wonwoo.” Mingyu says listing it all out on his fingers. Soonyoung huffs in response and mutters something about Mingyu taking the fun out of everything and only doing it for research purposes. Wonwoo scoffs at the comment.

However, contrary to what Wonwoo tells Soonyoung, Wonwoo was and still is incredibly impressed by the execution of the spell. Sooyoung's level of charms far exceeded his whole class’s abilities and every time he came to Wonwoo with a new spell up his sleeve, it was intriguing and exciting. The weekly trips to Japan were a definite plus as well. Eating sushi, taiyaki, ramen, mochi, and other things were like fever dreams that he never wanted to wake up from.

Getting to know Soonyoung along the way was also another plus. When Wonwoo moved in with Soonyoung during his first year, the other was often out and about due to his more extroverted nature. While Wonwoo was more a creature of solitude, Soonyoung was constantly buzzing around and taking part in the different clubs he was in. But one day, sometime during freshman midterm season for some unknown reason, Soonyoung had asked Wonwoo to test out a spell with him. And Wonwoo, curious to see what spell it was, obliged.

“What’s the spell this time, Soon?” Soonyoung cheers and sticks his tongue out at Mingyu. Mingyu looks at him and drops his jaw, affronted.

“Won, don’t tell me you’re  _actually_  going to listen to him.”

Soonyoung grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him happily, tousling his jet-black hair with every movement. He’s bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet and Wonwoo, despite losing brain cells from jostling his brain because of sudden movements, is charmed by the cuteness. (He's whipped, truly.)

“Great! You’re the best, Wonwoo!” Wonwoo can feel the giddy excitement bouncing off Soonyoung in waves, the energy flowing through him and bringing up his spirits as well. Soonyoung pulls him into a tight hug and Wonwoo can feel the warmth of his breath, the feeling of lips lightly grazing his neck and he freezes. In a matter of seconds, Soonyoung's somehow ten feet away and waving his arm in pure excitement. “Meet me at the lair at nine tonight!”

Moments pass before Wonwoo even processes what had happened. The goosebumps on his neck have finally gone down and he can feel his skin go back to a more reasonable temperature. He mentally kicks himself for being so hormonal sometimes but he  _is_  a teenager and he has  _needs_. Before any x-rated thoughts cross his mind, however, a loud snort brings him out of his daze. He almost forgot that Mingyu was there.

“Really, Wonwoo? A lair? Are you both twelve or something?” He’s startled to see Mingyu standing next to a very smug-looking Jeonghan. “Honestly, you’re so fucking whipped for his ass. You’re all flustered.”

“I’m not whipped.” Wonwoo says, hands fidgeting at his sides. Jeonghan's gaze shifts to them so Wonwoo shoves them callously into his pockets.

“And you want it NC-17.”

Wonwoo glares at him.

“I never said that.”

"Never denied it either." Jeonghan rolls his eyes, hands reaching up to loosen the neatly tied gold and navy striped ribbon around his neck. He breaks into a mischievous grin and Wonwoo wants nothing more than for the Earth to open up and swallow him whole. “You don’t need to say it, Wonwoo. Your eyes literally turn into heart emojis whenever you’re with him.

Mingyu hums in agreement. “Now that he says it, you have been acting kinda strange around Soonyoung lately.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He replies with as much nonchalance as he can muster. He’d rather not have Yoon Jeonghan, the Academy’s resident gossip magazine and Kim Mingyu, who can’t keep his mouth shut about anything even if his life depended on it, know about this.  _And was he really that obvious?_  “Anyway, when’d you get here, Jeonghan?”

“I literally walked right in front of you, Wonwoo.”

“Right.” Wonwoo frowns at the statement, hand going up to loosen his own tie. He really has to get better at not spacing out whenever Soonyoung so much as  _breathes_  in his direction. Or else Soonyoung's going to find out about this whole “I’m in love with you” issue and that’s a can of worms Wonwoo’s not really willing to open up just yet. There’s a lot to lose and Soonyoung’s become too important to him to risk all of that. “Well, I’m off.” With that in mind, sixteen-year-old Wonwoo turns on his heel and starts walking away, thinking about chocolate pudding cups to keep whatever bit of sanity his has left. 

“So you’re in love with Soonyoung, huh?”

Wonwoo wants to slam his face into the wall.

 

 

iii.

Epiphanies are often portrayed to be immensely life-changing and borderline miraculous. However, Wonwoo’s epiphany falls upon him much like a blossom falls into a pond, creating ripples in the stillness of everyday life.  
It was a quiet and largely unexpected understanding, coming about with a simple bumping of ankles and coffee-stained lips. It was the warmth that spread throughout his chest as he gazed at Soonyoung laughing, head tipped back, and eyes crinkled closed. It was at that moment the realization hit that he loved Soonyoung and that he’s loved him all this time.

Briefly stunned, he blinks once, twice. Already, he’s feeling the tips of his ears burning from the racing thoughts in his head.

“Soonyoung—” he begins. “I—” His tongue stumbles on the words and suddenly, his heartrate’s speeding up exponentially.

(He tells himself it’s the caffeine.)

“Yeah, Won?” He watches Soonyoung furrow his eyebrows before his face breaks into a small grin, followed by a quiet chuckle.

Soonyoung is patient, sometimes unnecessarily so, and Wonwoo speaks from years of experience. Wonwoo knows that he can spew numerous words at Soonyoung and start an explanation over again and every time he would, Soonyoung would tangle their fingers together and whisper comfort into the space between them. This time around, he takes initiative and reaches across the table to tangle their fingers together. Like always, Soonyoung’s hand is soft and warm, fitting easily into the spaces between Wonwoo’s fingertips (and perhaps, the spaces in Wonwoo’s heart).

It’s familiar and comforting, but the initial feeling of shock is giving way to his fears and Wonwoo’s grip loosens slightly. Wonwoo’s heart, for the longest time, was a guarded thing. He had learned from a young age that people could hurt you, unbearably so, and that it was harder to pick up broken pieces and fix them than it was to pretend it didn’t affect him. So, ten-year-old Wonwoo thought it was best to keep something as soft and fragile as his heart under wraps and locked away.

But some days, on days like today, Wonwoo feels brave. Soonyoung argues often that Wonwoo is the bravest person he knows, and that bravery is more than just standing up against things all the time. Soonyoung tells him that bravery is understanding yourself and choosing your battles, it is kindness and hope, it is loving yourself and others despite it all, and so much more. And it’s hard to believe sometimes, hard to wrap his head around the idea that someone as steadfast and strong as Soonyoung holds him in that regard.

_(“Wonwoo, look at me.”_

_The said boy doesn’t comply, instead continuing to look at the pile of leaves they raked up in Soonyoung’s backyard. It’s November and the crisp, cold wind blows right through him. He curls into himself further, making himself as small as he can._

_“Soonyoung, I’m not—” he breathes out, resigned and broken. “I’m not brave.”_

_Soonyoung’s face softens and he brushes back the bangs falling over Wonwoo’s eyes. It’s careful, gentle, and overflowing with fondness._ _“You are, Won. More than you give yourself credit for. I see it every time you stand up for your brother, every time you help your grandpa go grocery shopping. I see it when you laugh and cry, and I see it when you continuously try to better yourself.” Soonyoung takes a breath, and Wonwoo sees his eyes shining, absolutely beautiful amidst the chaos. “I love you, very much. And I’d like you too see yourself in my eyes too, sometimes. Of course, I want you to be able to love yourself. But at times that’s difficult, and I understand. So, I’ll show you all the great things about you to love.”_

_“Until I see them too?”_

_Soonyoung pauses, pondering the statement. Wonwoo notices his cheeks flushing slightly but makes no comment – autumn winds can do that to anyone. When Soonyoung looks back at him, his smile is loving and seventeen-year-old Wonwoo is endeared._

_“Even longer than that.”)_

“I love you, Soonyoung. I’m really in love with you.”

Soonyoung’s face flushes and again, twenty-five-year-old Wonwoo is incredibly fond and endeared.

“I love you too, Wonwoo.” There’s a pause and the brightest smile graces Soonyoung's face and god, Wonwoo really wants to kiss him. “I’m in love with you too.”

 

 

iv.

Midterms season has Wonwoo swamped with work and projects. He still has a part-time job to go to _—_ being a CNA is tough work and the four 12-hour shifts he did back-to-back is really starting to take a toll on his physical health and overall sanity. So when he falls asleep for three hours at the library and ends up being woken up by one of the library staff, a part of him feels like this was a long time coming.

“Hey, are you okay?” He’s being shaken awake very gently, but what really wakes him up is the smell of coffee hitting his nose. It's strong and bitter, just how he likes it, and honestly, he'd really like to down one (or maybe drown himself in it, either option was viable). Wonwoo opens his eyes slowly, adjusting to the brightness of the lights above him. He’s not expecting to see another person crouching eye level to him, eyebrows furrowed in worry. It’s cute and Wonwoo wonders if he’s new because this is a face he hasn’t seen before.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Wonwoo stifles a yawn before sitting up, blinking and stretching a bit to get the feeling back in his body. The boy in front of him smiles warmly and it’s all chubby cheeks and slanted eyelids and for some reason, there’s a familiarity in it that he can’t pinpoint. “Do I _—_. Do I know you from somewhere?”

“Uh, no? I don’t think so?” The boy tilts his head, face turning into one of confusion. Wonwoo watches him stare back, seeing the glitter of hazel around his eyes, defined by by eyeliner. Wonwoo watches the other stand up, hands brushing his thighs clad in ripped black jeans. There are small gashes on his knees and Wonwoo has to resist the urge to bring the other closer to him so that he can bandage it up. “I just moved here a few days ago so I’m still pretty new to the neighborhood.”

Wonwoo nods slowly, trying to set aside the feeling of deja vu. “Welcome, then. It’s pretty quiet around here, very peaceful and lots of nice parks.”

“I was hoping for that, honestly. I could use some peace and nice parks.”

Wonwoo looks down at his watch and almost gives himself a heart attack when it reads 2:04am. “Fuck. Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep here. I’ll get out of your hair soon.”

The boy laughs and it’s cheerful and bright like sunshine, and it makes Wonwoo pause for a bit when he’s shoving his belongings haphazardly into his backpack.

“It’s okay, you’re good. I just wanted to make sure you were alright because you’ve literally been in the same position since I saw you last and that was at _—"_ The boy glances at the clock hanging on the adjacent beige wall. "Twelve.” He gestures to the Starbucks coffee bottle at the corner of the desk. “Also, I brought you coffee to help wake you up on your way back home.”

Wonwoo is surprised at the gesture and it makes his heart warm. “Thanks, that was really nice of you um _—_ ”

“It’s Soonyoung. Kwon Soonyoung.”

Soonyoung stretches his hand out, eyes crinkling and wrists slightly covered by the olive green sweater he has on.  _The color looks good on him_ Wonwoo thinks before taking the offered hand, warm and soft in his own cold extremities. At the contact, a rush of different images come to mind _—_ a spacecraft, a coffee shop, navy uniforms. He's stunned, briefly. And again, there’s that feeling, a sort of aching longing, like Wonwoo’s known Soonyoung his whole life, as if he’d met him before. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts, dismissing the images as a parts of a dream before offering a kind smile.

“I’m Jeon Wonwoo.” His eyes dart back down to Soonyoung's wounds. "And I'd really like to bandage your knees."

 

 

v.

They’re sitting on the rooftop, shoulders pressed together and covered by a fluffy, maroon blanket that Soonyoung’s mom sent them for Christmas. The stars twinkle brightly, dancing around them in the expanse of the inky night sky.

“Soonyoung?” Wonwoo starts, fingers languidly sliding down the other's arm, taking his time to trace the dips and curves before lacing their fingers together. He's mapped out the expanse of Soonyoung's skin hundreds of times by now, can trace it with his lips, his fingers by memory alone. 

“Hm?”

“You think we’d be together in the next lifetime?”

Soonyoung pauses to look at him and in a few seconds, the laughter in his throat bubbles into the open air like shooting stars and Wonwoo thinks that the universe is in Soonyoung’s heart.

“Of course, Wonwoo. Always.” Soonyoung gives him a gentle smile and presses a kiss to his lips, giving their entwined hands three squeezes. _I love you,_ it means. “I’d find you and I’d fall in love with you. I’d choose you, in every lifetime.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> howdy y'all so wow this is literally the first fanfic i've written and posted in three years and it's 1am. tbh going back to writing has made me really happy like i can't believe i left it for so long u know? but yes i'm p rusty but hopefully it'll get better with time and practice !!!!! also soonwoo is so fkin beautiful like how can i not write for this ship oh my god. anyway peace out girl scouts find me on twitter @flowerboi-hoshi and we can talk about how much we love svt


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